Emma, the one in front, is my grandmother. Her hair is short
because she was recovering from several illnesses.

William Frederick Bohlmeyer came to Shipman from Bunde, Prussia
(before it was Germany) in 1854. He was fourteen and came with
his 16-year-old brother, Carl, who settled in Madison Co., IL.
Their parents stayed behind in Prussia. From the passenger list I
found that they were part of a group of several dozen from the same
small town. Most were young men of military age or their likely
girl friends. There were two families that accompanied them, so
it looks like it was an organized group, probably anti-war. The
family story is that their parents sent the boys to America because
they didn't want them in Bismark's army. In 1864, after obtaining
US citizenship, both brothers returned to see their parents. The
story is that William's mother refused to believe it was him until he
showed her a scar, at which point she fainted. The parents gave
both boys a suit of clothes for their upcoming weddings. The
German
military
came
and
tried
to draft William, but his US
citizenship got him off. The boys returned home, crossing the North
Atlantic in February. Records of their re-entry into the US exist.